April 11, 2016

A 43-year-old woman was sentenced today to 31 years to life in state prison for planning to kill her mother in Long Beach, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

On Dec. 3, 2015, a jury convicted Holly Ramos of seven felony counts in case NA097487: two counts of forgery and one count each of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, first degree robbery, second-degree commercial burglary and grand theft of labor.

Ramos’ husband and co-defendant, Frank Haverly, was found guilty by a jury on Dec. 3, 2015, of three felony counts: conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and first degree robbery. He was sentenced on March 11 to 31 years to life in state prison.

The third defendant, Keith Phillips, was convicted on Dec. 4, 2015, of first degree robbery and sentenced to 10 years in state prison.

Deputy District Attorneys Irene Lee and Rachel Bodley, who co-prosecuted the case, said Ramos had been defrauding her mother, the victim, of money between July and September 2013.

Prosecutors said the mother discovered Ramos was forging checks from her savings account, taking approximately $40,000 in over a month.

Additionally, the mother petitioned for custody of Ramos’ children subsequent to the arrest of Ramos on drug possession and child endangerment charges on Sept. 15, 2013 in Monterey County, according to prosecutors.

In the months preceding the attack, Haverly and Ramos engaged in multiple conversations alluding to their plans to remove the victim from their lives. Haverly and Ramos then hired defendant Phillips to kill Ramos’ mother, prosecutors said.

Haverly concocted a story to have Phillips released from his court-ordered drug rehabilitation program in Menlo Park in order to carry out the murder. Ramos and Haverly then went to the Menlo Park facility to pick up Phillips the day before the attack, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Haverly provided clothing and a weapon for Phillips to attack the victim. Also, Haverly and Ramos gave Phillips a van to travel to Long Beach, prosecutors added.

Prosecutors said on Oct. 11, 2013, Phillips, armed with a bat concealed in a briefcase and gloves, went to the victim’s home under the guise of being a social worker from the Monterey County Child Protective Services to do a home inspection. He gave his real name and provided personal family information that only Ramos and Haverly knew.

During the tour of the victim’s home and when her back was turned, Phillips struck the victim on her head twice, exposing her skull and causing excessive bleeding, prosecutors said.

In the course of fleeing the home, Phillips stole the victim’s purse and the fraud report she made against her daughter, according to prosecutors.

The next day, Ramos and Haverly cleaned out the van and several days after that traveled from Monterey to Arizona to sell the van used by Phillips, prosecutors said.

Following a month-long investigation into the brutal attack on the victim, authorities charged Haverly, Ramos and Phillips in connection with the crimes.